There are some preconceived ideas that travel is not good for your well-being. Travel is hectic. Travel is nerve-racking. It puts your out of routine and causes you some stress. But at the same time, travel is refreshing and exhilarating. Only through travel you open your mind and get exposed to ideas and things that significantly improve your well-being. There can be a lot of opinion and suggestions of how exactly these two connect. But one thing remains certain: travel and well-being do go hand in hand. And here are just some of the areas of your life that experience that positive effect of travel and well-being.
HERE IS HOW TRAVEL AND WELL-BEING GO HAND IN HAND:
Being Present
Willingly or unwillingly, travel makes you stay present. Despite other unforeseen situations, a new place clears your mind and forces you to focus on here and now. Familiarities of your home place and usual streets you take to go to work, gym or grocery store are gone. In a new destination, your autopilot gives way to mindfulness and being present. You pay extra attention to your surrounding to remember how to get back to your hotel. You observe locals to learn their customs and traditions. Before long, worries that were occupying your head vanish. And this is certainly one of the greatest benefits of travel and well-being.
Physical Exercises
Even if you are not an active person, travel positively affects your well-being by bringing more exercises into your daily life. Visiting some of the attractions of a new place requires a lot of walking or bicycling depending on your preferred way of getting around. These cardio exercises increase blood flow to your heart and make you feel fresher and younger. Increased level of physical exercises doesn’t escape you even when touring the Vatican. Walking from one room to another and exploring its treasures often requires climbing narrow stairs. This exercise alone strengthens your legs and builds stamina. Moreover, such travel perfectly aligns with both your esthetic side and well-being.
Yoga and Meditation
Yoga and meditation are other examples of when travel and well-being go hand and hand. What once was part of healthy lifestyle of a small portion of world population became an integral part of the majority. But even now, many travelers in pursuit of their well-being visit ashrams in India to enhance their meditation. Others travel all over the world to attend yoga classes and further spread out this spiritual and ascetic discipline.
Eating Habits
Travel and well-being do not always go hand in hand when it comes to food. Many travelers deliberately indulge in all type of delicacies they can find in a new country. Often your forget about your well-being and let carb addiction in Rome or tapas obsession in Barcelona take full force and become your staple diet during your travel.
However, after the initial cravings are satisfied, habits essential for your wellbeing slowly move back into your travel routine. And now you gravitate to the healthier foods that in many cases follow you back to your hometown. Quite often you can’t imagine your life without them anymore. I let myself assume this was the case with now so popular quinoa and acai bowls.
Sustainable Healthy Habits
Frequent travelers as opposed to occasional travelers learn pretty fast that healthy habits help them quickly adapt to ever-changing time zones. Healthy eating habits, enough sleep and exercises along with some individual health secrets significantly enhance your travel experience and overall well-being.
Increased Energy and Motivation
Travel benefits your well-being in the most unpredictable way. Giving yourself a break and immersing into a new environment increases your energy and motivation. Once back to your normal routine, you feel like you can literally move mountains. The energy flows. New ideas constantly pop up. And motivation level along with productivity is more than enough to carry multiple projects at once.
Happiness
Happiness is an essential ingredient of well-being and travel for that sake. In fact, well-being is defined as a state characterized by health, happiness and prosperity. Travel is a bit complicated. While some start to travel the world to escape themselves or unpleasant situations at home, they eventually become happier. Attaining their initial goals doesn’t seem a priority any longer. Immersed into a new routine, new way of living, people often realize how minor their problems are compared to something that other people go through. They find a happy balance in their lives. These travelers continue their journeys not to escape themselves but to boost their wellbeing.
See Real World
See the world for what it is rather then for what others say or think of it. Let go of your fear of unknown and learn from real life rather than from only books, news or social media. Knowing makes you wise and happy. And this is one of the best examples when travel goes hand in hand with well-being.
